File photo: VCG
SAN FRANCISCO, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A series of new laws that take effect in California on Monday will have an immediate impact on local residents, including price hikes of products and services that could be felt instantly by ordinary Californians.
In San Francisco, people living in this city, locals or tourists alike, will pay more for their travel by the city's public transit system, such as the Municipal Railway (MUNI) metro system, Golden Gate Ferry and Golden Gate Transit Bus.
Beginning on Monday, commuters in the Bay Area will see the fares for San Francisco MUNI rising to $3 if they pay in cash, making the city one of the most expensive places to ride in the metro system. The rate for a subway ticket in New York City is only $2.75 now.
The current MUNI fare is twice as much as it was 10 years ago, when adult one-way rates were a cheap $1.50.
Similarly, the regional fares for Golden Gate Ferry and Golden Gate Transit Bus have also been raised as part of a five-year program approved in March 2017.
Joe Martinez, a software engineer working for a hi-tech company in Silicon Valley, told Xinhua that the rate hikes will definitely make life more expensive in the long run, because its effect could push up the costs of other products and services "you can't go without."
Across California, drivers will have to pay 6 more cents for gas per gallon, which is collected as part of new gas tax that city officials have said will be used to repair aging bridges and roadways in the state.
San Francisco drivers will also spend more on their travel across the Golden Gate Bridge, with FasTrak users paying 8 dollars for each trip, up from $7.35.
Officials said the increased income will cut a 75-million-dollar budget shortfall in the maintenance of the normal operation of the iconic landmark in the Bay Area.
The increase was approved by the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge in March as part of a five-year plan, which will eventually raise the tolls for some drivers to $9.75 by 2023.
Starting in the 2019-20 school year, all charter schools in the state will provide low-income students with one nutritional free or reduced-price meal.
KRON 4 TV channel said about 340,000 low-income students are studying in California charter schools.
